This invention relates to a material for and method of effecting the decomposition/dissociation of water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The water is reacted with an amalgam of sodium, aluminum and mercury to form hydrogen and a metallic hydroxide denoted by the formula Na.sub.3 AL(OH).sub.6. The Na.sub.3 AL(OH).sub.6 is unstable at the temperature of formation in the presence of a catalyst comprising platinum and at least one element selected from the group consisting of germanium, antimony, gallium, thallium, indium, cadmium, bismuth, lead, zinc and tin and breaks down to form metallic sodium and aluminum thereby releasing oxygen and hydrogen.